The present invention relates to a child-resistant medicament package and particularly to an opening feature for a blister-type package.
Blister packages have become very popular for the child-resistant packaging of medicaments, such as antihistamines and other medicaments which are available over the counter and in common use by adults but which must be taken according to instructions and are required to be packaged in a child-resistant package. In the past, a package has been provided with a paper foil backing over which a polymeric film is heat-sealed to encase the medicament in what is generally referred to as a blister pack.
In order to access the medicament for use, a die cut is typically formed in spaced relationship with an edge of the package and aligned with the blister enclosing the medicament.
The die cut slit allows an adult to tear open the blister pack with some effort by tearing through the edge material and then the blister for gaining access to the medicament. Typically, a child will not have the strength required to open such a package.
Although such packages have provided an effective and very popular child-resistant package for medicaments, they are very difficult to open even for an adult. Accordingly, there remains a need for a blister-type medicament package and one which is child-resistant but one which also allows for easier opening capabilities available primarily to an adult with the cognitive ability to utilize the opening mechanism.
The blister pack of the present invention provides this advantage by incorporating a die cut tab intermediate one edge of a blister pack and the medicament contained therein such that the tab is removed tearing away from the medicament to define two spaced-apart legs which subsequently provide readily accessible gripping legs for subsequently tearing apart and opening the blister pack for accessing the medicament contained therein. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the die cut tab is a generally V-shaped notch formed with the apex of the notch directed toward the medicament and which can be deflected from the plane of the blister pack and removed to define the spaced-apart legs subsequently employed for the opening of the blister pack. The legs are torn apart typically by tearing in a direction opposite the plane of the blister pack for severing the film blister over the area of the medicament for gaining access to the medicament.
With such a package, an adult has the cognitive ability to understand that it is necessary to remove the tab in a direction opposite the medicament to provide the legs which, once defined by the removal of the tab and the material extending between the tab and the edge, are easily grasped to facilitate the opening of the blister pack.
These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description thereof together with reference to the accompanying drawings.